THE BASICS:
RESULT:  Hartford 69, Vermont 68
RECORDS: Hartford (16-11, 9-4 AE); Vermont (22-6, 12-1 AE)
LOCATION: Patrick Gymnasium (Burlington, Vt.)
 
THE LEAD:
The University of Hartford men's basketball team handed the first-place Vermont Catamounts a 69-68 loss in front of a sold-out Patrick Gymnasium in Burlington on Sunday afternoon. Junior Jason Dunne led all scorers with 26 points while classmates George Blagojevic (13 points),  J.R. Lynch (12 points) and John Carroll (10 points) also registered double figures for the Hawks, who locked up a home game in the upcoming America East Playoffs.

Senior Hassan Attia slammed home a dunk with 1:41 remaining to give the Hawks a 69-68 lead, before a pair of blocks from Attia and redshirt-junior John P. Carroll in the final possession of the game sealed the victory for the Hartford. The Hawks snapped Vermont's 15-game winning streak, which was longest in the nation, with the victory in addition to ending the Catamounts' 34-game conference winning streak, which was the longest in America East history.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Hartford started with a hot hand, opening the game by going a perfect 6-for-6 from the field over the first four minutes to take a 14-2 lead. Vermont answered that big start with a 23-9 run of its own, tying the game at 23 with 6:31 remaining in the half. A Drew Urquhart layup seconds later would give the Catamounts their first lead of the afternoon.
•  In the final three and a half minutes of the opening half, the Hawks and Catamounts exchanged the lead three times and were all tied up on two occasions. A pair of Vermont free throws with 36 seconds remaining gave the Catamounts a slim, 33-32 edge at the half.
• The lead changed hands six times in the opening six minutes of the second half before a Catamount layup with 14:18 remaining gave the home team a 47-46 lead.
• The Hawks remained in striking distance for the remainder of the game and with 2:31 reaming, Dunne drained a three from the corner to pull the Hawks within one.
• Senior Hassan Attia sent home a dunk with 1:41 remaining, giving the Hawks a 69-68 lead. Vermont had one last opportunity coming out of a timeout with 15 seconds remaining, but the Hawks held off a go-ahead bucket and came away with the one-point upset victory behind a pair of clutch blocks from Attia and Carroll in the final seconds.

 INSIDE THE NUMBERS & NOTES:

• The Hawks and Catamounts finished with six threes apiece, while Vermont held the advantage from the free-throw line (18-11)  
• The Hawks snapped a nine-game slide against Vermont and handed the Catamounts their first America East loss since February 8, 2016.
• Dunne's five three-pointers put him at seventh all-time on the Hartford all-time list.
• Hartford has won each of its past five games on the road. Dunne has fueled streak with 20-point outings in four of five of those games.
• With 16 wins, the Hawks have posted the most wins since 2013-14.

 
UP NEXT:
The Hawks return home to host New Hampshire on Wednesday evening. Hartford looks to complete the series sweep of the Wildcats, having previously scored a 79- 62 victory in Durham on Jan. 31. CLICK HERE for ticket information.